Thankful Thursdays

Today, I'm thankful because my husband's trip to the endocrinologist went well. The doctor didn't think the levels of my husband's blood sugar were too bad, and rather than prescribe medication he recommended a low carb 1,800 calorie diet. I can handle that! (Don't know if the hubby can, though). I'm gonna start looking into calorie counts and measuring, so that I can prepare my hunny the foods he likes while staying within the calorie limits. My hubby is exercising in the mornings so that's one point in his favor; now to get him on the track to healthiness. Thank God for His tender mercies, and for His healing grace.


Why are you cast down, O my soul?
And why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God;
For I shall yet praise Him,
The help of my countenance and my God.

Psalm 42:11

Join in thankfulness to the Lord at Grace Alone. God bless.

The Simple Woman's Daybook

For Today, February 23, 2010...

Outside my window...the fog is lifting. Good thing too - it was plain white out there this morning. Not good driving conditions.

I am thinking...about all the furniture that needs to be moved today. The flooring project is almost complete; now the clean up starts.

I am thankful...for a God who provides. He is a generous Father who loves His children and wants nothing more than to see us prosper.

I am going...to take my hubby to the doctor this afternoon. His glucose tolerance test came back positive for hypoglycemia, so additional tests need to be done.

I am wearing...a lime green blouse, jeans, and brown flats. Had to go to the store for more baseboards early this morning. Half asleep. In the fog.

I am remembering...the day my oldest son was first placed in my arms. Thanks to some stuff they were saying on the radio, that's my happy thought for today :-).

I am creating...a new look in my home with awesome looking floors.

I am reading...Judges for morning devotions, John for SOAP devotions, Having a Mary Spirit for personal study.

I am hoping...to get this project finished and everything put away. Today. Okay, maybe by tomorrow.

On my mind...my hunny's health.

From the learning rooms...E continues to do well with math; long division seems to come easily to him. Getting his thoughts on paper is still a bit of a struggle, but I think he's starting to see it isn't so hard after all.

I am noticing that...my sister hasn't blogged in a while. I'm gonna have to give her a talking-to.

I am pondering these words..."Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!" - Ecclesiastes 4:9-10.

From the kitchen today...I have no clue. I made no menu for the week because my every moment at home has been about moving furniture, cleaning, helping with the new floors, cleaning some more, putting stuff away, and getting a quick meal on the table in between it all.

Around the house...I will be busy for the next week at least. Can't wait till it's all organized and put away.

One of my favorite things...sandwiches. Quick on the go meals. What a concept!

A few plans for the rest of the week...find a place for everything, and put everything in its place.


Wanna join in the fun? Visit Peggy at the Simple Woman's Daybook. God bless.

Observing My Senses

For Today, February 20, 2010...

I am seeing...new floors in most of my home. Beautiful, rich, warm floors. Mmmm.

I am hearing...the whirr of the ceiling fan, and Phineas and Ferb in the next room.

I am feeling...very tired after a long day of work, but very satisfied with how much was done.

I am tasting...and seeing that the Lord is good, all the time.

I am smelling...wood. My house smells like Home Depot right about now.

It just takes a moment to see what's going on around you. Won't you join me?

Flooring Project - Work in Progress

Finally I have a chance to post some pictures of the floors and how they've progressed. And boy, have we progressed! It's been a very busy 3 days, and it looks like we'll be done sooner than I'd anticipated.

Here's the living room, with the first row of flooring installed. The baseboards have been ripped out, which took quite a bit of time.

The floor went in a straight line from the front door in the living room to the end of the dining room. It meant moving alot of furniture around.

The china cabinet was moved into the kitchen. Not very comfortable, since it was blocking the pantry and I still needed to cook.

The other furniture ended up in the family room, my daughter's room and our bedroom. There's one table in the garage, but that's all that fit in there. It was getting pretty cramped.

By the end of the day plenty of progress was made. Half the living room was installed...

...and about of a third of the dining room as well.

Of course it meant that the family room was a mess because so much of our furniture was stuffed in there.

Friday was a tough work day, because the mouldings around the doors had to be cut before the floor could be laid down. Once that was done, though, the linen closet floor was installed - a tight fit, to be sure.

The area in front of the bedrooms was finished and the new baseboards were installed today. What a difference the details make! Suddenly the floors look finished, even though there's so much still left to do.

The family room was started today. We're halfway done in there! I really didn't expect that much to get done. My hubby and his brother are burning through that floor!

The living room floor is done, and the baseboards have been installed, though not finished. Half the room needs to be caulked and then it'll be finished.

This is the view from the front door. The furniture has been moved into the living room, so that the family room can be worked on.

The dining room floor is also complete, as is most of the baseboard. We needed to put alot of the furniture in this room, which is why it looks so messy. The mess is the part I hate about home improvement projects.

The last room to be done will be the kitchen. Appliances need to be moved, so we'll need to make space in the other rooms for that to happen. Still, I think the amount of work that has been completed is astounding. We're approaching the finish line!

Stay tuned for more updates!

Flooring Project - Before pics

I believe it's customary to show before and after pictures of home improvement projects; otherwise how will anyone know there was any improvement? So here we go:

This is our formal living room, the first room you see upon entering the house. This was our family room furniture until after Christmas, when I decided a little experiment was in order and I switched out the two rooms. I'm happy with the result of the furniture, but we need to focus on the floors here. They're porcelain tile, and were very beautiful when we first moved into the house 10 years ago. They're a bit dull and worn now.

Here's a better view of the floor.

This is our formal dining room, directly after the living room. Same porcelain tile floors.

The family room, with what used to be the living room furniture. These sofas have been with us 11 years and still look like new. Not bad for a family of 5. Oh, and same floors. Notice also that the baseboards are actually the same tile, cut and attached to the wall. I'm dreading taking those out.

This is the family room just in front of the kitchen. There's a breakfast bar, and once again, same tile floor.

The kitchen. We renovated about 4 years ago, with new cabinets, hardware, granite counter tops and stainless steel appliances. We just kept the floors because, in case you haven't already noticed, they're throughout the main living area of the house which is open to every other room. If we changed the kitchen floor we had to do the rest of the floors also.

This is what I call the bedroom foyer. It's the area in front of all 3 bedrooms and one bathroom.

After looking at the pictures, some may wonder why we would want to change the floors out. In the pictures they seem to be in good condition. Guess again. The tiles have begun cracking in certain areas. Granted, they aren't as bad as some of my neighbor's tiles. Mine are hairline cracks. When tiles are laid on brand new construction floors, and the house begins to shift and settle, this is what happens:

The other thing that really bugs me is how easily these porcelain tiles crack and chip. With kids in the house someone is always dropping something, and this is what the family room floor looks like. The kitchen is worse, which is why I put an area rug in. I couldn't stand looking at it anymore.

The solution: Laminate wood flooring. I know, some people hate the idea of laminate and would not even consider it over hardwood. My reasons for laminate are simple: it's easier to install - we don't even have to remove the tile floors, just lay the laminate on top, saving lots of time. It's less expensive too - the floor we bought already has padding attached, and at $1.295 per square foot it's very economical. Then we have our state insect - the termite. Termites LOVE Florida. I, on the other hand, don't like termites. This floor is virtually indestructable - yet another plus. For my family and budget, it's the way to go.

And I absolutely love the color! They had Brazilian Cherry which is very popular, but to me it's just very dark. This flooring is called Harvest Oak, has alot of grain in it and is a medium toned wood which, in my opinion, goes with just about everything, including the furniture and fixtures we currently have.

The floor needs to acclimate for about 48 hours, which give us time to prep and remove the tile base board. I'll be posting pics as we go along , so be sure to stay tuned for more fun flooring updates!

The Simple Woman's Daybook

For Today, February 15, 2010...


Outside my window...it isn't as cold as I thought it would be, but it's still colder than normal for this time of year. We're usually in the high 60's in the mornings and 70's in the afternoons in February. This week we'll be in the 40's and 50's to start the day, and mid 60's throughout. It's like winter doesn't want to leave (guess the groundhog was right!).


I am thinking...of the wonderful time I had on Saturday with my high school classmate. I felt like a teenager all over again - the good parts, not the acne or stuff like that.


I am thankful...for my loving husband, who is more practical than romantic. Our wedding anniversary is on February 21, so as a combination Valentine's Day/anniversary present, he's putting in laminate wood floors throughout our living area. While many women would balk at a home improvement gift rather than something more "personal", I think of all the work he's gonna be putting into this just so the house will be more comfortable and easier to clean. That means more to me than flowers or candy. Thanks babe!


I am going...to Costco today to see the choices of flooring. They have laminate wood floors on sale. The price is great, plus I received my Costco credit card rebate to help pay for them. It will end up costing less than $1,000 to buy flooring for the kitchen, family room, dining room, living room, hallway and bedroom foyer. This bargain hunter is super excited!


I am wearing...okay, I'm still in my jammies I'm ashamed to say. There's no school today so the boys are home, and I enjoyed getting up later than usual. This is how I like starting Monday mornings.


I am remembering...my high school buddies. I graduated from high school in 1981. That's 29 years ago. Yet, it seems like yesterday I was running through the halls of the school, having lunch with some great girls, chit-chatting on the bus, with no cares in the world. What a sweet memory.


I am creating...a plan for how the floor project will go, as there will be alot of cleaning and moving of furniture involved.


I am reading...Joshua for morning devotions, John for SOAP devotions, Having a Mary Spirit for my personal study, and I need some additional reading material. I think I may re-read Emma. Such a funny story.


I am hoping...my sister has a good couple more weeks at work, then transitions well to homemaker status. She's leaving the work field after over 20 years. It's an adjustment, but one I think she'll fit right into.


On my mind...flooring. What did you expect? ;-)


From the learning rooms...E is home today, President's Day, but he still needs to do some studying. His math and reading exams are coming up. I'm thankful to the Lord that his reading has improved, and math still comes fairly easy to him.


I am noticing that...I keep starting to write 2009. I get to "200" then remember it's 2010. Isn't it amazing how quickly this first decade of the 21st century went by? At least to me it did.


I am pondering these words...which are perfect for Valentine's day: "No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends." - John 15:13.


From the kitchen today...burgers and fries. Homemade, not fast food.


Around the house...laundry (of course) and some tidying up, but mostly time with my boys.


One of my favorite things...eggs and bacon with honey wheat toast and coffee to start the day.


A few plans for the rest of the week...do I need to mention flooring again?


From my picture journal...my buddy and me. What a blessing to see her again.





Wanna join in the fun? Visit Peggy at the Simple Woman's Daybook. God bless.

Observing My Senses

For Today, February 13, 2010...

I am seeing...a warm, cozy home. My favorite place in the world.

I am hearing..."Penguins of Madagascar" in my bedroom.

I am feeling...so happy after meeting with a classmate from high school whom I hadn't seen in 29 years. She looks wonderful, has a great family, and loves the Lord. What a combination!

I am tasting...nothing. It's 8:20pm, and I don't eat after 7:00pm. Not good for the digestive system.

I am smelling...a clean home.

It just takes a moment to see what's going on around you. Won't you join me?